-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hong Kong restaurateur Yenn Wong got quite a surprise one morning earlier this month .

The co-founder of popular Hong Kong restaurant Chachawan Isaan Thai and Bar , Wong woke up and logged onto her computer to find a friend had forwarded her multiple images of a second Chachawan restaurant in Shanghai .

In addition , Chachawan 's Facebook page was filled with enthusiastic inquiries asking if the shop had opened a new branch in Shanghai .

Wong looked closely at the pictures online .

The Shanghai Chachawan bore the hallmarks of her successful Hong Kong eatery .

It had the same exterior look and feel as the Hong Kong shop .

Even the menu , focusing on northeastern Thai -- or Isaan -- cuisine , looked the same .

Opened earlier this month , the Shanghai restaurant had already earned scores of 5/5 stars from six of its eight reviewers on Dianping , China 's crowd-sourced food forum .

Given that she had no plans to expand her operations to Shanghai , the copycat Chachawan stunned Wong .

`` It is extremely disappointing to see the restaurant in China has used not just the Chachawan name , but also our exact logo and font which was designed specially for us , '' Wong tells CNN .

`` They have also used a very similar retro-poster theme for their interior and marketing materials , as well as other elements of our interiors , '' says Wong .

`` We feel this is such a disrespect to the hard work and creativity that our own team , graphic designers and local artists have put into Chachawan Hong Kong . ''

A collaboration between Wong and chef Adam Cliff , Chachawan gained instant popularity upon its opening in 2013 and has remained one of the hottest no-reservation restaurants in Hong Kong .

Shanghai Chachawan claims no knowledge of original restaurant

Both the manager and a staff member at the Shanghai Chachawan tell CNN they have no idea about the existence of the Hong Kong Chachawan .

To their knowledge , theirs is the only Chachawan in China , they say .

The manager , surnamed Guo , said the restaurant 's name and logo are the responsibility of a marketing department manager who was not made available for contact .

`` I 'm surprised that they say they have no idea about Chachawan since the owners have dined at Chachawan -LSB- in Hong Kong -RSB- , and in fact had formal meetings with chef Adam Cliff and owner Yenn Wong in April this year , expressing their interest in taking the concept to -LSB- mainland China -RSB- , which was declined , '' says Kiri Sinclair , a public relations spokesperson for Chachawan in Hong Kong .

Knockoff 2.0

Long known for knockoff smartphones , designer clothing and luxury hangbags , mainland China 's copycat profiteers have in recent years moved into the business of counterfeiting whole shops and brand identities .

A 2011 blog post depicting the brilliant ripoff of an Apple Store in Kunming -- which copied nearly every element of the store , including the friendly blue-shirted staff -- went viral , leading to a reported government clampdown .

Some 22 illegal stores were identified and forbidden to use the Apple logo .

Chachawan is n't the first restaurant to suffer the indignity of a mainland knockoff .

Japanese cheesecake shop Uncle Rikuro found an unlicensed chain of Rikuro bakeries operating in various cities in China , attracting long queues of gulled fans .

More than 200 `` Rikuro '' stores are still operating in China .

Chinese restaurants are also imitated .

After Chinese President Xi Jinping was spotted lining up for steamed dumplings at one of Beijing 's Qing-feng steamed dumpling chain shops , the store began attracting even longer-than-usual queues ... as well as imitators .

A Qing-feng dumpling shop in Zhengzhou was discovered shortly thereafter to be operating without a franchise agreement from the original store , nor a proper business license .

Legal recourse

Though it has n't yet taken action against its imitator , the Chachawan team in Hong Kong says it 's seeking legal advice .

The difficulty in pursuing legal action in China often stems from lack of awareness about steps needed to protect one 's trademark .

`` Generally speaking , a lot of people do n't understand the concept of registering the name of their restaurant or store as a trademark , '' says Hong Kong-based Rosita Li , an intellectual property partner in global law firm Mayer Brown JSM . .

`` Even if they understand the concept , they may just have registered their name in the location where they have operations . It never occurs to them that there may be people copying their name .

`` And it 's difficult to prove your name is well-known in China , where the threshold is high , as well . ''

According to Dr. Yahong Li , an associate professor of law at Hong Kong University , attaining legal redress in such cases in China is often difficult .

`` Chachawan can take legal action only if it has registered its trademark in China , or can prove that its mark is well-known in China , '' Dr. Li tells CNN . `` Otherwise , it has a very slim chance to win and I do not recommend suing . ''

To Chachawan 's owners , however , the issue has moral as well as financial implications .

`` We serve authentic Isaan cuisine and the concept was put together exclusively by myself and Yenn Wong after a great deal of research and my own experience of having worked and lived in Thailand , '' says chef Adam Cliff .

`` It is upsetting to have someone else ride on the reputation and success that has come from so much hard work , creativity and passion . ''

CNN 's Dayu Zhang contributed to this report .

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An unauthorized version of popular Hong Kong Thai restaurant Chachawan has opened in Shanghai

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Despite near-identical signage and menu , manager from replica Chachawan says he has no knowledge of the original restaurant

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In addition to fake luxury goods , copycat shops and restaurants lifting entire brand identities are now found in China